What Every Small Town In North Dakota Had In The 1930s. It Was A Simpler Time.

Before there were big box chain stores everywhere, and before technology started keeping everyone inside more often and outside in the world less often, there was a more community-driven aspect to all the towns in North Dakota. Specialty stores and businesses, for instance, are unfortunately becoming a thing of the past. Now many seem to demand convenience over quality in many parts of their lives.

The 1930s and 40s were a simpler time for towns in North Dakota. These photographs from that time help portray what has changed, and how it used to be. So sit back and take a trip to the past, and maybe we can all reflect a bit on how things have changed.

Drug stores were not just a place to get some cold medicine, they were also the cool spot that had soda fountains! This drugstore in particular is even sporting a large "SODA" on the sidewalk to advertise their refreshing drinks.

Theater still does remain a popular form of entertainment - here is a neat board of some movie posters. It was probably a lot cheaper to go to the movies then, I doubt it cost as much for concessions as theaters seem to charge these days!

This was more popular back in the day - community cold storage lockers for meats and preserved fruits and veggies, available for use for all local farmers and residents, if they did not have a way to store it themselves.

This is not much different today- we love all of our school's athletics programs and teams, especially in small towns. These high school football players are seen walking through town in uniform. Neat!

A busy street in Grand Forks showing off some specialty stores, such as the hat store and a shoe repair store. It's hard to find places like that today, with owners and employees who know their trade and are proud of the products they offer.

The times are always changing and there is not much we can do about that, but sometimes it doesn’t hurt to wish they were a little like they used to be…